“The Aluminum Show” brings unique experience to Oxford

For the past eight years, The Gertrude Castellow Ford Center for the Performing Arts has brought shows of all genres to the tiny town of Oxford, Miss.

On April 19, they will welcome a group of performers from across the world that makes a living by manipulating industrial materials.

In a mixture of performance art, modern dance and acrobatics, “The Aluminum Show” is sure to be a sight Mississippians won’t soon forget.

The main storyline involves a little, lost slinky in search of his missing parents, and these colorful, shiny characters come to the rescue (or not) to bring one of the most intriguing performances straight from Israel.

Since premiering at the Israel Festival in Jerusalem in 2003, not a negative review can be found for the show, but the words “weird” and “bizarre” do appear quite a bit.

Ilan Azriel, creator and artistic director, was shopping in your everyday hardware store when an aluminum tube fell to the floor. After observing the particular way it was able to move, “The Aluminum Show” was born.

Well, almost.

After nearly a year of planning, configuring and playing, the show began to travel around Israel and, soon enough, worldwide.

It wasn’t until 2008 that the show made it across the ocean to us, premiering at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Now on its second US tour, the show is encompassing and captivating audiences of all shapes and sizes.

“We decided to make a big adaptation for the U.S. market,” Keti Gordover, the company manager and a former member of the cast, said. “We had all kinds of reviews, suggestions and requests from different people in the industry — what they think we should do in order to make this show more appropriate for the American audience.”

One of the most amazing aspects of this theatrical experience is the way the actors and dancers are able to personify their costume props and bring a true emotion and character to what we see as dryer ducts.

While this is no Shakespearian classic full of beautiful imagery and poetic prose, it has the ability to be one of the top shows at the Ford Center this year if people are willing to give it a chance.

Much like The Blue Man Group (without the blue), “The Aluminum Show” is more of an experience than a straight show. Audience participation is encouraged and sometimes required. The evening suddenly becomes something far more than expected by breaking that fourth wall and bringing the audience in.

The show is appropriate for all ages, but the one requirement for admission is a strong imagination and a simple willingness to take in everything around you.

The only way to explain it is to see it, and with a one-night only engagement, it’s time to mark your calendars and get ready for the most elaborate and intricate show of the season.